Love Island's Jessy Potts reveals how Joey Essex romance caused one huge villa regret

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

EXCLUSIVE: Love Island's Jessy has opened up about her time in the villa, and how she felt she was in someone's shadow - but would return for a second stab at love
She may have entered the Love Island villa as a bombshell, but Jessy Potts has proven she's got staying power beyond Casa Amor and coupling ceremonies. The 25-year-old former fintech worker swapped spreadsheets for sunsets in the summer of 2024 and has been living the dream ever since her smooth-sailing stint on the show — even if she was somewhat overshadowed by her villa beau.
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'I was with one person the whole time — but I feel like I was in someone else's shadow,' Jessy admits candidly of her time in the villa with Joey Essex. 'I was coupled up with Joey and people didn't get to see me for me.'
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Still, she holds no grudges. 'I don't have any regrets being coupled up with Joey as soon as I got in there. It made my time easy in there.' But with hindsight (and a few red flags waving in the wind), Jessy's perspective on love has shifted in a big way.
'The show changed my perspective on love, now. I am setting boundaries from the start and I need my partner to actually be a nice person. Because when they are nice, you can forget everything else. I am a lover girl so I need my partner to be like that.'
It's clear she's done the inner work since leaving the villa, and she's not entertaining any emotional immaturity in 2025. 'When I notice red flags now, I am gone. Red flags mean danger.'
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Since her exit, Jessy's been 'living the dream', appearing on campaigns, jetting off on glamorous trips, and soaking in the lifestyle shake-up after leaving behind her 9–5 in fintech. 'There's no other show like Love Island that can change your life overnight,' she says. 'I'm finally doing what I'm meant to.'
But fame didn't come without its early challenges. Arriving as a bombshell, Jessy was initially met with cold shoulders and admits, 'It was a lonely experience at first.' Still, she found her groove — and her girls — bonding deeply with fellow Islanders Matilda (Draper) and Jess Leigh-Anne, who she calls 'like sisters.'
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Now, the bubbly blonde is ready for round two. 'Yeah, I actually think I would [do All Stars],' she teases. 'I'd love the chance to show who I really am and actually get to know more people properly.' Move over Joey — Jessy's stepping out of the shadows and into her own spotlight.
Jessy also detailed how the divide between the girls in this year's series is more evident than what has been seen before. "You can literally feel it through the screen. I know how easy it can be because when I first went in I was so lonely because I was a bombshell and I had to speak to all the guys so the girls didn't warm to me."
The ITV2 dating show is just days away from this year's grand finale and the part-time player has caught the eye of both Shakira Khan and Helena Ford amongst others during his time in the villa. But, Jessy is not impressed.
"I'm over it," she said. "Harry's a 30-year-old man — come on. Helena's been playing along with the boys, but it's backfired. I think Shakira and Harry will get back together and last like… 1.5 days!"
Love Island 2025 airs every night at 9PM on ITV2 and ITVX.